Christian Home And Family | Radical Faith For Generations - Biblical Truth For Faithful Families

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Why our kids do not date This post is not about dating VS courtship... so you can relax. This post is about the wisdom (or lack of wisdom) that is inherent in the cultural practice of dating... and what can be done about it in YOUR family. When my oldest son was very small, my wife and I prayerfully decided that our children would not "date" in the typical sense of the word. Our experiences had not been all that great, and we knew there had to be a better way for a Christ-centered family to go about it. Before I tell you how we accomplished that in a way that all our children have willingly and even joyfully adopted it... let me tell  you WHY we made that decision. Reasons we didn't want our kids to date #1 - "Pairing up" as couples is for the purpose of heading toward marriage We really believe that. There's no other reason for a young man and young woman to pair up. So think it through... at what age is a young man or young woman actually READY to be seriously heading toward marriage? Twelve? Sixteen? Eight

Our culture tends to be a really self centered. There is not much grace for the personal weakness of others. And so, in step with our culture, a lot of the things that you hear talked about when it comes to the difficulties of married life have to do with one of the partners being bothered by the actions or attitudes of the other partner. As a result we hear complaining - we hear wishes of the things that the other spouse would do differently - and I think while that’s totally understandable, it is NOT the approach we as believers in Christ should be taking. This episode is all about THAT - what do you do when it comes to your spouse’s personal weaknesses? My contention - you should love them not only in spite of those weaknesses, you should also love them IN those weaknesses. Listen to this episode to hear my explanation. Subscribe to the CHAF Podcast On Android | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Podbean | Spreaker | Email What you’ll learn about loving your spouse’s personal weaknesses… [2:00]

A while back my wife and I were talking about absolutes... As we sat over coffee at our favorite local hangout (my favorite drink is a "Honey Badger," with a little extra "badger" - you should try one), we were trying to soak in the blessings God has poured out on our lives. We both teared up at times (which happens when you realize how much you don't deserve all the goodness you get from God). >

Why would I throw in my thoughts on such a popular and written-to-death sort of subject?  Because what I consider to be the KEY to raising godly children has not been said enough, or loudly enough. Subscribe to the CHAF Podcast On Android | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Podbean | Spreaker | Email   The key to raising godly children is to first be a godly parent. Don't hear me saying you have to be perfect. Don't hear me saying you have to make no mistakes. DO hear me saying... your relationship with Jesus had better be authentic, not just something that you do on Sundays. It had better be something more than religious actions. It had better be more than moralistic teaching and corresponding rules. It must be an ongoing, vibrant, up-and-down-but-always-headed-upward RELATIONSHIP with Jesus. Anything less will smell of hypocrisy, and it will absolutely stink in the nostrils of your children. You can't fool them. They will know if you are a fake, and they will know if y

A spiritual leader is not the person who has all the right, holy-sounding answers. A spiritual leader is a person who humbly goes first in serving others. That’s one of the many lessons I’ve learned about what it means to be a spiritual leader in my family over the past almost-30 years. This episode of the Christian Home and Family podcast is aimed at gaining a greater understanding of two of the key biblical passages that speak to the issue of spiritual leadership in the home. In each of the passages, husbands are singled out as the ones responsible to take spiritual leadership in their home. The first passage, Ephesians 5, points out very clearly that spiritual leadership is an act of service, self-sacrificing service. No man who understands spiritual leadership is going to be domineering or demanding toward the people in his home. Instead, he will be gracious, patient, and loving because those are the demeanors of a servant leader. This recording contains my off-the-cuff thoughts about how men should appro

I hope it’s your desire to learn everything you need to know about parenting from the Bible. I say that because, in my experience, the Bible is all we need. Psychology has its place, as do good books from Christian authors. But in the end, the truth expressed in scripture about how we live our lives as Christ-followers applies across the board. That means that how the Bible instructs us to behave as Christians can and should be applied to the way we lead, teach, and discipline our children. In short: parenting from the Bible is the best way to go. On this episode of the podcast I wanted to share a parenting mindset with you… It’s really nothing new, but perhaps I’m going to say it in a way you haven’t heard before. It’s a way of thinking about the act of parenting that my wife have adopted - and we feel it would benefit anyone who takes the time to understand it and apply it in their parenting. Yes, it’s what I’ve just described, taking everything we need to know about parenting from the Bible - but I’m doing

  The foundation of a marriage is an important thing. That’s because foundations are important. You don’t think about them much, but without them everything falls apart. Behind the three vital things I’ve covered in the last few episodes - Commitment, Communication, and Connection - there rests a foundation that holds them all in place. And like the foundation of a house, without this foundation every marriage, Christian or not, will be far less than what it was intended to be. What is the foundation of a marriage that honors Christ? God exists, and He is ours and we are His. Join me as we explore the amazing majesty of our God. Subscribe to the CHAF Podcast On Android | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Podbean | Spreaker | Email  

The kind of marriage connection you want is possible… But you have to understand that it’s built upon other things - the individual relationships you and your spouse have with God through Christ, AND the healthy, ongoing communication you establish with each other. Only then, can the connection and unity you desire in your marriage come to fruition. This episode is the 3rd talk I gave at a recent marriage retreat on the 3 Cs of a Christ-honoring marriage. Subscribe to the CHAF Podcast On Android | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Podbean | Spreaker | Email  

In a Christian marriage, communication is one of the foundational things that enables man and wife to live together in harmony. But more important is the WHY it’s so vital. It’s because without communication a wife and her husband are unable to understand the state of the other’s ongoing commitment to Christ and be of benefit to them in that journey. This audio is the 2nd in a series of talks I gave recently at a marriage retreat. We had some technical issues with my recording device (cell phone interference) but I believe the content is valuable enough to ask you to struggle through the tech issues and glean some benefit anyway. Subscribe to the CHAF Podcast On Android | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Podbean | Spreaker | Email  

www.ChristiandHomeandFamily.com Carey@ChristianHomeandFamily.com I was recently asked to speak at a marriage retreat here in the mountains of Colorado. My topic, for four sessions was this... The 3 Cs of a Christ-Honoring Marriage Those 3 Cs are: Commitment, Communication, and Connection. This episode features the first of those talks - Commitment. And it's not the kind of commitment you might think of when you consider marriage.  Take a listen to this episode to find out about the fundamental commitment each partner in a marriage must have in order to have a truly Christ-honoring relationship.

  I am one of those people who believes that marriage restoration is possible for any Christ-following couple who is willing to seek God for the type of healing that only He can bring. I’ve seen it happen. So I can confidently say that there is hope for your marriage if you are willing to humbly submit to God’s plan for restoring it. This episode of the podcast is a recording I made as I was driving to pick up my wife from the airport after a visit to her sister’s home in North Carolina. The thoughts were coming rapidly so I decided to record it - and I’m glad I did. Please forgive the noisy environment - it was in the car. And it was raining. But God gave me a message of hope that I believe is intended for some very specific people I haven’t met yet. But He knows who they are. I trust you’ll find this episode to be a blessing. Marriage restoration can only happen for those who humbly seek it. I’ve seen far too many people resort to divorce when they honestly haven’t tried everything they could to restore the

This one is my story - of how I learned the importance of good stewardship - not over the money or possessions I have been given - but over something much more important. The PEOPLE in my life. Contact me at Carey@ChristianHomeandFamily.com   

On becoming "Grand-Pop" As I've been considering the implications of the birth of this second generation that has sprung from me, I've been sobered. Though Wyatt's upbringing falls mainly on my son and his sweet wife, Hannah, I have a deep conviction in my soul that I am responsible in some very important ways as well. Here are some of the things that come to mind: For now, they live in the same town as we do, so I have the opportunity to invest the seeds of what God has done in my life, into his life personally - through my interaction with his parents and by building my very own relationship with him (I'm "Grand-Pop," by the way). When/if they move away (I'll hate that day when/if it comes), I'll have to be intentional about those things long-distance. I'll have to write letters, send e-mails, make phone calls, do video calls... whatever it takes to make sure that I'm adding to Wyatt's life what the LORD would have me add. I can always pray for him... and I'm learning not to take that lightly. I believ

Many parents, Christian or otherwise, have the hardest time letting go of adult children. There’s no easy way to do it and no magic formula that makes everything turn out perfectly. But there is a realization that I’ve come to as I’ve watched 3 of my children move into adulthood: God is faithful - even now - even after I’ve not done everything I could have done to set them on the best path possible.   Now that your kids are adults, are you beating yourself up about the way you raised them?   If you are, know that you’re not alone. We all have regrets after the fact. We look back with a wisdom we didn’t have at the time - possibly even with insights we have from the school of hard-knocks. We wish we’d done something different, something better. And when our children begin to go down the “not so good” path we set them on through our ignorance or neglect, and continue to do so into adulthood, we can be very hard on ourselves. But I’ve been learning that it’s not too late and that God can bring redemption. After

Seasons of change are part of life. There’s no avoiding it. Sometimes the season can linger for much longer than we like. Other times it’s fairly brief. And as is common for almost everyone, change is hard to handle. The same goes for me. I’ve been away from the Christian Home and Family podcast and website for some time. You may have seen a few blog posts pop up here and there when something was on my heart, but the truth is that I’ve been anything but consistent. This episode of the jump-started podcast is aimed at explaining my absence and hopefully, I can also give you some idea of where I think this thing is headed in the future. Unexpected seasons of change and how to handle them If you’ve never been through an unexpected and significant season of change I can tell you, it’s something that throws your whole world off kilter. The things you thought you were supposed to be doing suddenly lose their place in the list of priorities. You have to restructure almost everything. At least that’s how it was for m

Family conflicts can make life inside the home horrendous. Nobody wants to be around when arguing, fighting, and complaining are the norm. So how do you get past the arguing? You get past it by preventing it in the first place. And you do that through working hard toward every person in the family having a right relationship with God.

Yes, really. I know we'd all like to know how to stop sinning, and the truth is that the Bible gives us plain, simple instructions for how to do it. But even though it's simple, it's not easy. Every believer in Christ has the opportunity to apply what John says (1 John) and stop sinning. It's a daily, step by step discipline we have to develop. This episode of the podcast is going to highlight the only path to stop sinning, and give some tips on how to move in that direction.

God seems to love illustrations and symbols. The scriptures are full of them: sheep, goats, seeds, plants, vines, brides and bridegrooms, light, darkness - you get the idea. This episode uses the biblical illustration of light to show you a fun and effective way that you can use light to teach your family that God is light, and what that means for their lives.

There are a million different ways you could get into the scriptures and get the scriptures into you. But here's one that's honestly new to me, taught to me by my daughter. I call it the 30 day Bible saturation, and it's really a cool way to get yourself immersed in some of the main themes of scripture in a very contextual way.